Automatic repeating mechanism for phonographs



L. B. IVICDONALD.

AUTOMATIC REPEATING MECHANISM FOR PHONOGHAPHS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 1o, 1920.

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.6 L\ |Dl|| llllll Il l :l 2 IIIIIII 22? f n l] LESLIE R. MGDON'ALD', OF MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA.

AUTOMATIC REPEATING MEGHANISM FR PHONOGRPHS.

Application led April To aZZ whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, LESLIE R. MCDONALD, a' citlzen of the United States, residing at Montreal, Province of Quebec, Dominion of l reproducing Canada, have ,invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Repeating Mechanism for Phonographs, 'of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to means whereby the reproducer or Sound box, carried by the tone arm of a phonographor similar sound device, and operating in conjunction with a disk record, after traveling, from its initial position, inwardly across the record, may be automatically lifted out of contact therewith and moved back to its starting point, so as to again travel over and interpret the record. And my improvements are directed particularly to details of the mechanism for accomplishing these ends, and more especially to the means which are acted upon by the movement of the sound box to initiate and determinate its restoration to the commencement point on a disk record.

I will now proceed to point out and ex plain the novel Vfeatures oi my improve ments, which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and in which Figure l is a plan view of the motor board, turn table, tone arm, and attachments of a typical phonograph combined with my improved repeating mechanism; Fig. 2 is an elevation of the right hand portion of the same, on an enlarged scale, the tone arm being omitted; Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View, on a still further enlarged scale, of the worm piston and dash pot cylinder; Fig. 4 is a plan view, on a still further enlarged scale, of the worm cylinder engaging member; Fig. 5 is' a side view of the split end of the returnin rod and its coperating nut; Fig. 6 is a p an vlew, and Fig. 7 an elevation of the body of a suport for the outer end of the returning rod; Fig. 8 is a plan view and Fig. 9 an elevation of the sliding sleeve for the same; Fig. 1() is an elevation and Fig. 11 is a View looking u on Fig. 10 of a modified form of suport ibr the outer end of the returnlng rod;

ig. 12 is a detail of the spring element of such support; Fig. 13 is a perspective vlew of the locking collar for the dash pot cylinder; Fig. 14 1s a side view, and Fig. 15 1s an end view, looking to the left on Fig. 111, of the outside stop and of a section ot the returnin rod; and Fig. 16 is a plan view, and Fig. 1 an end view, looking to the left on Spccication of Letters Patent.

Patented Unt. 11, 1921..

1920. Serial No. 372,814.

Corresponding reference numerals are applied to similar parts in all the figures.

The motor board 1, turn table 2, tone arm 3, sound box 4 and needle 5 are those of a typical phonograph carrying a conventional dlsk record 6. A worm piston, having a socket 8 in lts bottom, to fit over the spindle 9, and mounted in a rather broad base 10 adapted to rest on the top of the disk record 6,15 provided with a spiral groove 11, an enlargement 12 near its top, a conical, undercut end 13 carrying a lexiblewasher 14, and operates within a dash'pot cylinder `15, the top of which normally rests upon the conical end 13 of the'piston, into the base of which dash pot cylinder is threaded a retaining collar 16 which prevents the cylinder from being withdrawn over the top of the piston.

A forked member 17, slides in slots 18, 18

in the sides of the dash pot cylinder, and has a prong 39 rojecting through an opening inthe cylin er and adapted to be slid into engagement in the worm groove 11. This member 17 is carried by afreturning rod 19 supported at its outer end by a guide, the form of which may be varied, but which, preferably, combines the elements of a guide through which'the rod 19 may slide to and fro, and a vertically adjustable support carried thereon, whereby the elevation of the end of thevrod 19 maybe regulated. In Figs. 1, 2, 6, 7, 8 and 9 this'isupport is shown as consisting of a cylindrical element 20, having a slot 21,' in its upper end, a split collar 22 grasping it frietionally so as to maintain its position at different elevations, and a screw-threaded end 23, whereby it may be attached to the motor board.

In Figs. 10, 11, and 12 I haveillustrated the construction of a modified form of support, consisting of a staple-like body 24, having one end shortened, and the other 25 tapered and screw-threaded, and carrying a spring 26 with two arms 27, 27, which, when the spring is slid over one leg of the staple upon the neck 31. This neck 31 may be made long enough to permit an adjustment of the rod 19 which will cover the range of variation in'the positions of. the sound box on different makes of sound reproducing machines, so that the position of the rod 19 may be readily adjusted, laterally, beneath the Sound box of the particular machine to coperate projA erly therewith.

-The outside stop 35, is shown as consisting of a coil of spring wire, having extended, looped ends 36, and 37. the free end of 37 being adapted to press against the iiattened under side 38 of the rod 19, so as' to oppose rotation of the stop around the rod and to hold the end 36 up to intercept the movement of the sound box. At the same time the grasp of the stop on the rod is sufficiently yielding to permit. it to be slid back and forth to secure the adjustment desired.

The inside stop also has a -body of coiled, spring wire 40, provided with two ends 41 and 42, the free ends of which bear against the flattened under side 38 of the rod 19, so as to resist rotation, and the loop 42 is thrown back, as at 43, and then forward, as at 44, and is preferably provided with a yielding and sound deadening covering 45.

his construction permits the stop to be slid toand fro to adjust it to the desired range of action of the sound box, while the conformation of the end 4Q is such that it may yield inwardly toward the inner end of the rod 19 when pressure is exerted against it from the opposite direction.

`Tlie resultv of this arrangement is that when the sound box, the outward swing of which is limited by the stop 36, is carried, by the.needle, following the groove in the disk 6, over until the needle strikes the arm of the stop 40, the stop will yield slightly so as to accommodate itself to any eccentricities of the record and not force the needle out of its groove, and also so as to permit the )rong 39 of the element 17 to await the revolution of the worm4 piston 7 to bring its worm into position for the prong 39 to enter it, without this delay resulting in forcing the needle out of the record groove, or otherwise deranging the operation of the parts.

lVhen theprong 39 does enter the worm groove, the revolution of the worm cylinder deriving its motion from its base 10 resting on the record 6, will carry the inne-r end of the rod 19 up until the inclination of the rod is sufficient to cause the sound box to slide down it and strike the outside stop, sliding the rod 19 outward, withdrawing the prong 39 from the groove 11, and allowing the dash pot to gradually lower the inner end of the -rod 19 and thus replace the needle in the groovev of the-record. Or if the impact of the sound box against the stop 35 does not pull the prong 39 out of the groove 11, the

prong will be pushed out when it reaches the By means of my improvements I am able' to adjust my repeating device to varying types of phonographs, without permanently altering or changing its construction; and also to secure simple, durable and efiicient outside and inside stops and outside supports.

The basic elements of my improvements are described and claimed in another application for a patent which I have already led.

But, having thus desecribed my invention, what I claim and desire to secure, upon this application, by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. The combination, in a sound reproducing instrument, embodying a rotatable record support, movable tone-arm, sound box, and needle, of rotatable, rod-raising means, a slidable and inclinable tone-arm returning rod provided with tone-arm stops, and means adjustably connecting said rod raising means and said rod.

2. The combination, in a sound reproducing instrument, embodying a rotatable record support, movable tone-arm, sound box, and needle, of rotatable', rod-raising means, a slidable and inclinable tone-arm returning rod provided with tone-arm stops, and means embodying a slidable joint adjustably connecting said rod raising means and said rod.

3. The combination, in a sound reproducing instrument, embodying a rotatable record support, movable tone-arm, sound box, and needle, of rotatable, rod-raising means, a slidable and inclinable tone-arm returning rod provided with tone-arm stops, and means laterally adjustable relative to the longitudinal axis of the rod and connecting said rod-raising means and said rod.

4. The combination, in a sound reproducing instrument, embodying a rotatable record support, movable tone-arm, sound box, and needle, of a slidable and inclinable tonearm returning-rod provided with tone-arm stops, a guide for supporting the outer end of said returning rod provided with a rodsupporting member slidably mounted thereupon, means for raising the inner end of and axially displacing said tone-arm returningord support, movable tone-arm,

rod in one direction, and means for axially displacing the same in the reverse direction during its return descent.-

5. T he combination, in a sound reproducing instrument., embodying a rotatable rec.-y

ord support, movable tone-arm, sound boX, and needle, of a tone-arm returning-rod provided with a tone-arm stop, embodying a spring body having integral, terminal arms, one thereof constituting tone-arm arresting means and the other constituting anti rotation means, and returning-rod supporting, inclining and sliding me-ans.

6. The combination, in a sound reproducing instrument, embodying a rotatable record sup ort, movable tone-arm,` sound box, and neet le, of a slidable and inclinable tonearm returning-rod, an outside tone-arm stop, an inner tone-arm stop embodying a coiled spring body with an anti rotation end and a laterallyy yieldable reproducer engaging end.

7 The combination, in a sound reproducing instrument, embodying a rotatable recsound box,

and needle, of a tone-arm returning rod, means. comprising a worm piston and a connecting element, Jfor inclining the returning rod from an initial position, and means, including a dasli-pot cylinder', for guiding and checking the returning-rod in its reassumption of its initial position, and a' pivotal element on the piston for normally supporting the dash pot cylinder. v

8, The combination. in a sound reproducing. instrument, embodying a rotatable rec ord support, movable tone-arm, sound box, and needle. of .a tone-arm returning rod, means` coniprisinga Worm piston and a connec-.ting` clement. for inclining the returning rod from an initial position,` and means, in cluding a dash-pot. cylinder, for guiding and checking tbe returning-rod in its reassumption of its initial position, aV pivotal `element on -tlie piston for normally supporting the dash pot cylinder, and said connecting element being arranged 1n a slidable relation to said dash-potvcylinder.

LESLIE R. MCDONALD. 

